Library comic con ‘bigger and better’

Day will include contests, games, crafts and panels

Librarians are fighting supervillains, searching for Golden Snitches, and traveling to far distant planets — all in preparation for the second annual Hillsboro Library Comic Con on Saturday, July 21.

“We’re really excited about this year’s con,” said event organizer and interim circulation supervisor Sarah Davidson. “Last year was the first time we did a comic con, and it was a big hit with patrons of all ages. This year, we want to make it even bigger and better.”

The con starts at 10 a.m. when the library opens and ends with an award ceremony at 4 p.m. In that time, patrons can enjoy a variety of games, panels and contests.

“We’re going to have both ongoing activities that patrons can enjoy at any time, as well as speical scheduled events,” Davidson said. “First on our schedule is a ‘How to Draw’ panel led by local author/illustrator William Roller. Everyone really enjoyed his panel last year, and we’re looking forward to him coming again.”

Other scheduled activities include: superhero bingo, a comic book panel, music trivia, and “Nerd Jeopardy.”

Davidson added that in order to compete in both the music trivia and “Nerd Jeopardy” games, teams must pre-register. Spots are limited. Any teams with participants under age 18 must also have an adult.

She discussed on of this year’s returning activities: the comic book panel. “It was a big hit last year,” Davidson said. “We had comic fans of all ages — kids, teens, adults — all discussing and debating various topics together.”

Davidson also listed the different ongoing activities throughout the day. “There’s the ‘Justice League Mission,’ which is similar to those old ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ novels. Basically, participants will follow a story, making choices as they go along that will lead them on different paths and, therefore, different endings. By the end, they will figure out the enemy threatening the Justice League, but they also have to be careful. Not all paths lead to the correct answers. Everyone who manages to solve the mission correctly, however, is entered in a drawing for a prize.”

Other prizes will be given for an “Infinity Stone Quest,” a “Find the Snitch” game, MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) trivia, an “Arkham Escape” scavenger hunt, costume contests for both kids and adults, as well as the aforementioned “Nerd Jeopardy,” music trivia contest, and superhero bingo.

She added that there will also be crafts available. Patrons can make Chewbacca bookmarks or Harry Potter wands.

“You can also put together the Marauder’s Map,” Davidson said. “We think that’s going to be extra fun, because you’ll have to find the different pieces of it first.”

She said, “We really want people have a wide variety of options for some nerdy, family fun.”

Davidson also said that if families decide they need a break there will be ongoing movies in the library’s meeting room, as well as snacks (hot dogs, popcorn, and water bottles), coloring sheets, and games.

“Our hope is for this to be an event that patrons can enjoy all day — whether you’re a family looking for a summer activity or a fan wanting to hang out with other fans,” Davidson said.

To learn more about this or other events, call the library at 937-393-3114, or search “Highland County District Library of Ohio” on Facebook.